Background.
In public places and buildings, numbers shapes and characters are used to advertise or display the name of a company or a product or service. Those characters are bulky, thick, and hollow. To illuminate those characters, fluorescent lamps are placed inside the letters. The light from the lamps is projected out and illuminates a translucent plastic in the shape of the letter. The installation of these letters is difficult, and significant construction and installation is required, since power has to be taken to a remote location. Also the illumination of the letters uses a lot of power, especially when large messages or names are displayed. The type of lamps used, also requires ongoing maintenance.
In Highways and streets guide signs are installed. These signs are large, supported by large structures. To make the signs visible at night, powerful lights are placed in front and projected towards the signs. The message displayed in the signs, are made of a reflective vinyl and glued to the signboard. The lighting required is intensive and consumes a lot of power. Installation is difficult since power has to be brought to remote locations.